A proud and meticulously wrought ethnography.
An immigrant preserves, then elevates, a fragile, centuries-old art.
Baba teaches Marie to craft Easter “pysanky—beautiful, decorated eggs—in the same way Ukrainians had done since ancient times.” Grandmother and grandchild labor over homemade dyes and fresh chicken eggs, painstakingly etching with beeswax the intricate and symbolic designs. Each pysanka is “a story, a wish, a prayer, a gift,” “for the legend goes that as long as pysanky are decorated, there will be good in the world.” Displaced by the “fighting and famine” of World War II, Marie flees Ukraine and resettles in Minneapolis, where the vibrant immigrant community inspires her to resume her handicraft. Marie passes on the tradition to her children and theirs, expanding the imperiled folk art while supporting herself and her family. Canting shifts in perspective capture the family with aquiline features, ruddy cheeks, and golden skin that’s frequently echoed in yellows throughout the detailed lines of Turk’s bold illustrations. Extensive backmatter includes a note on Wallace’s Ukrainian heritage and the real-life Marie Sokol Procai, and cultural respect rings through thoughtful elements including complex embroidered fabrics and recurring motifs like wheat and sunflowers. Exploring the power of art to preserve vulnerable heritage, the tale offers potential cross-discipline appeal; pair it with Julie Paschkis’ picture book P. Zonka Lays an Egg (2015) and Katherine Marsh’s novel The Lost Year (2023) for rich lessons in history and holidays.
A proud and meticulously wrought ethnography. (more information on pysanky, playlist, bibliography, photographs, photo credits) (Picture-book biography. 5-9)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
ISBN: 9781662680694
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Calkins Creek/Astra Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
A good-enough introduction to a contested festivity but one that’s not in step with the community it’s for.
An overview of the modern African-American holiday.
This book arrives at a time when black people in the United States have had intraracial—some serious, some snarky—conversations about Kwanzaa’s relevance nowadays, from its patchwork inspiration that flattens the cultural diversity of the African continent to a single festive story to, relatedly, the earnest blacker-than-thou pretentiousness surrounding it. Both the author and consultant Keith A. Mayes take great pains—and in painfully simplistic language—to provide a context that attempts to refute the internal arguments as much as it informs its intended audience. In fact, Mayes says in the endnotes that young people are Kwanzaa’s “largest audience and most important constituents” and further extends an invitation to all races and ages to join the winter celebration. However, his “young people represent the future” counterpoint—and the book itself—really responds to an echo of an argument, as black communities have moved the conversation out to listen to African communities who critique the holiday’s loose “African-ness” and deep American-ness and moved on to commemorate holidays that have a more historical base in black people’s experiences in the United States, such as Juneteenth. In this context, the explications of Kwanzaa’s principles and symbols and the smattering of accompanying activities feel out of touch.
A good-enough introduction to a contested festivity but one that’s not in step with the community it’s for. (resources, bibliography, glossary, afterword) (Nonfiction. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4263-2849-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2017
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
